


color my love with a flower or just a kiss

by Velvet_Velour



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: F/F, Femslash February, Fluff, Vkaz if you squint, nothing bad happens & everyone's happy AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 11:19:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13810104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velvet_Velour/pseuds/Velvet_Velour
Summary: What Mother Base needs is a garden full of flowers.





	color my love with a flower or just a kiss

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Beta read by my good pal [bipalium](http://archiveofourown.org/users/bipalium/pseuds/bipalium). Title from _Color My Love_ by Fun Fun. The song was released in '84 btw :)  
>  Many thanks to [bluewishdust](http://archiveofourown.org/users/bluewishdust/pseuds/bluewishdust) for giving me some much needed feedback.  
> This is so cheesy I could just put CHEESE FACTORY in the title :’)  
> Comments are always appreciated!

Quiet's giving her _that_ look again, one of her infamous looks that could make animals yelp in fear and children cry. If she could talk she'd be in the middle of a long rant trying to persuade Buffalo that what they're planning is, in fact, a good idea.

To tell the truthBuffalo isn’t so sure about it.

They've been talking for several days already. Well, it’s more of a monologue on Buffalo's side, while Quiet hums and gestures. This time she even draws a picture to show what she has in mind.

“Hey, that's... really good,” Buffalo admits, looking at a detailed drawing of the animal conservation platform. She chuckles, noticing Quiet included them in the picture as well. They both look like stick figures with comically long eyelashes but it’s somehow cute. She squints at a weird shape she can't distinguish. “What's this supposed to be? Sorry, I suck at interpreting art.”

Quiet rolls her eyes, points at the weird shape, growling and frowning in a comical way. Getting no reaction from Buffalo, Quiet covers her eyes with both hands and makes a frustrated sound. Buffalo hesitates, narrowing her eyes at the figure. _Wait, are those... sunglasses?_

“ _Oh_ ,” she says and laughs. Once she gets what Quiet means the resemblance is uncanny. “So you want me to ask Commander Miller about this?”

Quiet smiles and nods.

Quiet lets out a sigh, then points at her artistic rendition of Commander Miller.

“Right, Commander is the one in charge of the budget. If we want to spend money we need to get his approval first.”

Quiet lets out a sigh. She has a pleading look in her eyes. Of course Quiet can’t be the one to ask Commander Miller; their relationship is tense, to put it mildly. Even if she could talk, asking him for a favour would be out of question.

Buffalo bites her lower lip. “Well, let’s just hope I won’t get beaten with a crutch.”

It takes a bit of planning to find the right moment. There’s only one person on Mother Base who has a calming effect on Commander Miller, so it takes some time to set the plan into action. They need to wait until Boss is back. Quiet’s abilities make the spying on the Commander easier, and eventually she gives Buffalo a sign.

Quiet waves at her from a higher platform and disappears in a puff of black smoke. Buffalo gathers her courage and makes her way to Miller’s office.

She’s never been here; no one comes here willingly. Well, Boss does but he is the one and only exception. Rumour has it that being summoned to the office of Diamond Dogs XO is a fate worse than death. As a member of the Combat Unit Buffalo has faced numerous extreme situations before. This, however, feels like her most difficult mission yet.

She takes a deep breath and knocks. There’s some shuffling inside, and after a moment she hears Miller’s voice granting her permission to enter.

For a place feared by many the room is rather plain, just like any other office. There’s a pile of papers on the desk Miller’s sitting at. She leaves the door slightly open, just in case she’ll need to run for her life.

“Sir!” Buffalo salutes, her spine perfectly straight, voice clear.

Venom Snake is sitting by the desk, and rolls in his chair to have a better look at her. While Commander has his signature scowl on his face, Boss regards Buffalo with polite curiosity.

“What's on your mind, Buffalo?” Venom Snake asks in a soothing, almost friendly tone. It's good to see him relaxed, though Buffalo feels a small pang of guilt for interrupting their time alone. She takes a deep breath. Better go straight to the point. “It's about the animal conservation platform, Boss. Why do we not have a garden?”

“This isn't your dollhouse, this is a military base.” Commander frowns; it’s not exactly a bad sign. Miller tends to frown a lot.

“A garden, huh?” There's enough interest in Venom Snake’s voice to make hesitation surface in Miller’s look.

“Yes, Boss,” Buffalo continues, feeling more confident as Boss is willing to listen to her. “Part of the herbivores platform isn’t currently used, so we could make it a place where soldiers could, uh, rest between missions. Have some quiet time. Recent studies show that– ”

“No.”

That one word is enough to punch the air from Buffalo’s lungs. Her resolve wavers, her carefully prepared speech already forgotten.

“To meit sounds like a good way to raise morale, don’t you think, Kaz?” Boss says, dead serious. He glances at Miller who stares back in disbelief.

Venom Snake’s attention returns to Buffalo and her heart nearly stops when he gives her a knowing look accompanied by a little smile. _Oh, he knows everything_. Either Quiet explained it to him earlier, quite possibly with the aid of another masterful drawing, or he overheard their plan.

Commander Miller twists his lips. He might’ve scolded Buffalo all day if it wasn’t for Boss’s presence. “How much is this supposed to cost?”

After a few minutes of tense negotiations, Miller approves the request. Even though he looks a bit reluctant, Buffalo can’t help grinning like an idiot, biting the inside of her cheek to hide it.

 “Dismissed,” Commander waves his hand at her with an angry frown. She salutes, noticing that Boss looks quite pleased with the outcome.

She can't explain why this silly thing makes her so happy. Maybe it has something to do with the way Quiet's eyes light up when Buffalo announces their triumph. Perhaps it's because Quiet picks her up and spins around without any effort, like a joyful kid. Who knows.

It takes them a week to get what they need, including seeds of different flower types and gardening equipment. As it turns outneither of them knows much about gardening but soon other soldiers offer their help. Despite Commander's comment, it feels like playing dollhouse is exactly what they needed.

 

* * *

 

Another week passes and the garden is nearly done. Buffalo sets up a fence to separate their precious flowers from goats and sheep. The animals tend to wander aimlessly on the platform because apparently everyone, Boss included, constantly forgets to close the gate behind them. By this pointno one is surprised to see a group of sheep chilling on a helipad.

Venom Snake visits regularly, checking on their progress. It’s endearing how he starts caring not only for the captured animals but also for their little project. Since their initial conversation Buffalo hasn’t said a word to Commander Miller about it – she doesn’t have to as long as he sings the permissions. It’s better not to remind him that Diamond Dogs spend actual money on flower seeds or water cans.

This time it’s not Boss who visits but a group of kids lead by Eli. Most likely they hid in the helicopter to sneak on the animal conservation platform for whatever prank they’ve got on their minds.  Quiet pays no attention to them, humming as she stoops to a rose bush.

Eli comes too close to the flowerbeds, glaring like he is considering blowing the whole place to smithereens. His trusty companions don’t seem that interested in the garden, walking to pet goats and sheep instead. Buffalo gets back to work, deeming the kids harmless. Sure, Eli has his rebellious moments, but he’s not going to do anything dangerous, right?

Buffalo spends every minute of her free time here. Deep down she’s glad this place exists because finally she doesn’t have to come up with any far– fetched reasons to spend time with Quiet. Now they both work together whenever they can, and after the job is done they can sit and relax. It’s so simple yet _nice_ , even though they’re accompanied by a herd of sheep and goats bleating every two minutes.

Buffalo smiles to herself; she doesn’t come here to hear the animals bleat, it’s Quiet’s humming that warms her heart. They communicate over the radio when on a mission, but it’s different when they’re here. Quiet hums a melody as she’s working, the pair of gardening gloves she’s wearing is too big for her hands but she doesn’t seem to care.

Suddenly there’s silence. Quiet’s song stops. Buffalo raises her head up to check what happened.

Of course it’s Eli, his foot hovers mid–air like he was about to step on the tulips. He’s frozen in place, eyes wide open and fixed on Quiet whose face reads that she’s willing to commit _murder_ if he dares to destroy their hard work. Buffalo can swear dark aura is gathering around the sniper, air filling with smoke.

She glances back at Eli. The boy visibly trembles, his arrogant demeanour has vanished. His face is ghostly white. He slowly, _oh so slowly_ , puts his foot away from the flowers.

_It looks like he finally understood he should never mess with this one,_ Buffalo muses as she watches Eli running to the other boys. He barks at them and moments later they leave, not really happy about that.

Quiet is humming again. She looks pleased.

 

* * *

 

Another afternoon Buffalo goes to the animal conservation platform alone, having nothing else to do in her free time. Quiet’s accompanying Boss on a mission, so Buffalo hopes that work will help her pass the time. Their little project is finished, they even got a little bench to sit on and admire their work.

But as soon as Buffalo approaches, she sees there’s already someone sitting there. The water can she’s carrying nearly falls from her hold when she realizes it’s Commander Miller. He's accompanied by a soldier from the Ocelot Unit in their signature black uniform and a red beret. Upon closer inspection she identifies him as Silent Panther.

“Commander Miller, sir!” she salutes, hastily setting the can on the ground.

“At ease,” Miller says without looking at her.

Buffalo glances at Panther but he's looking away, corners of his lips twitching. _What's going on here..?_ The nearby goats bleat loudly as if participating in the conversation.

Diamond Dogs Commander usually looks like he's about to choke someone. How he could do it with one hand is anyone's guess but pretty much everyone believes it is possible.

Now, however, he looks oddly calm, as if deflated. Buffalo gives Panther a questioning glance. Staying true to his name he keeps silent, eyes fixed on the ground. It all makes her only more confused.

_Is this… an inspection?_ Buffalo’s heart is beating fast.

“Is there a problem, sir?” she asks in her best tranquil voice. It’s like teetering on the edge of the abyss.

Miller lets out a long sigh that seems to come from the very bottom of his soul. “Now that this place is finished I hope you don't mind me spending time here. Half an hour, to be precise. Every afternoon.”

“S–sir?”

Another sigh. His shoulders are slouched. _Is he…pouting?_ He looks very much like a...

_Oh_. Something clicks in Buffalo's mind. Commander Miller looks like a scolded child forced to do something he doesn't want to but has no way of escaping.

“I was... _ordered_ to take a break and sit here for thirty unproductive minutes each day,” he explains, gritting his teeth. “Supposedly it's _good for my health_ because I shouldn't spend _so much time_ working,” he mocks Boss’ deeper voice and scoffs.

“And this soldier over there,” he nods at Panther who by this time should be awarded with a medal for standing still, “is here to keep an eye on me.”

Buffalo’s eyes widen in shock. Is this really happening..? One glance at Panther tells her that it’s true.

Miller pays no attention to her as he continues his rant.

“Ocelot was _so happy_ to ask one of his men to spy on me. That's right, soldier, I said it. Invading one’s privacy like this is nothing else but _spying_! Are you proud to be spying on your superior officer? Tell that cowboy freak everything! Also tell him I called him a _cowboy freak_ , I don't give a damn! Why won't you run straight to him to give your report, huh?”

“I cannot do that, sir,” Panther replies with a stone face, his voice dead serious. “You still have fifteen minutes left of your, um, break, Commander.”

Buffalo sees Miller's lips twitch, his hand balled into a fist shakes, and the menacing aura oozing from him tells that he's ready to pounce and rip the poor guy to shreds. Even the goats go quiet, making the whole place ominously silent.

Much to everyone's surprise nothing violent happens.

“Alright, then,” Commander says, his voice ice cold. “Fifteen more minutes.”

“T–thank you for your understanding, Commander,” Panther mumbles. He and Buffalo exchange a quick look. She could swear he just sent her a telepathic message saying don't leave me alone with him.

“Fifteen more minutes,” Miller repeats, his unemotional voice sounds more threatening than his usual yelling, “and then I'll have another task for you, Panther. I was told Doctor Emmerich needs an assistant. We all here want to _help_ Doctor Emmerich, right, soldier?”

There's something devilish in Commander's voice that Buffalo half–expects to see the rose bushes behind him morph into gates of hell. Panther presses his lips into a thin line, staring with empty eyes at Miller’s feet. The whole base does everything to avoid even looking at Emmerich. Being in a room with the man is torture worse than Commander Ocelot can offer.

“How about you get to help him every day for, hm, let's say, three hours? I'm sure Doctor Emmerich will be _thrilled_ to have such a skilful assistant helping him out.”

“Respectfully, sir, but as a member of the Ocelot Unit, I'm not– ”

“I don't care about your kitty cat club! As a member of Diamond Dogs you must obey a direct order from your superior!”

And at that moment Buffalo stops listening, hastily salutes and evacuates while Commander's attention is focused on the poor Panther. She doesn’t need to know how this ends, and frankly she doesn’t want to.

 

* * *

 

It’s become their ritual to come to this place and sit here together. Quiet brought a walkman with her, Buffalo wonders if it’s Boss’ but doesn’t ask about it. They spend the evening listening to a cassette. Some songs Buffalo recognises; as for the others she can ask Pequod about them. Considering Venom Snake’s little obsession with collecting tapes, the pilot knows everything about his musical tastes.

Tomorrow Buffalo’s leaving on a mission. Tonight, however…

Tonight they can just sit here and relax.

“It’s nice, isn’t it?” she whispers once the music stops, putting her head on Quiet’s shoulder.

Quiet hums in agreement. The place is peaceful, and at times like this Buffalo imagines it exists outside the whole world, away from the endless fighting and wars.

One of the goats makes an outstandingly loud noise. Quiet looks into her eyes, and they both laugh.


End file.
